


Baby, it stung, (now it's sweet)

by sus_spice



Series: The Merchant of Death [He trusts no one] [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: ...again, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Awesome Tony Stark, BAMF FRIDAY, BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Civil War Team Iron Man, Clint realises stuff, Domestic Fluff, Don't Like Don't Read, Extremis Tony Stark, FRIDAY won't hesitate bitch, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I wrote this instead of studying, Light Angst, Merchant of Death Tony Stark, No Beta, Not Canon Compliant, Not Captain America Friendly, Not Clint Barton Friendly, Not Steve Friendly, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, One Big Happy Family, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Sam and Bucky are so donee, Sorry Not Sorry, Team Cap doesn't deserve Tony, Team cap anymore, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is Not Helping, Tony Stark has a family, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Tony Stark is So Done, Tony Stark is a bitch when he wants to be, Tony Stark-centric, Tony was gonna make baby milk at the end, What Have I Done, and it doesn't need you pricks, baby Stark - Freeform, mentions of Transgender, mostly - Freeform, not team Cap friendly, oh shit i have an essay to submit, okie byebye im gonna go now, she pulled out guns on team cap, shvowhroguwhgo, we all are gonna fucking die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26677786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sus_spice/pseuds/sus_spice
Summary: Family is everything to Tony Stark and he isn't going to let the Rogues ruin his. Not again.Team Iron Man, don't like don't read people
Relationships: Happiness/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Series: The Merchant of Death [He trusts no one] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940086
Comments: 51
Kudos: 1331
Collections: Finished faves, ellie marvel fics - read





	Baby, it stung, (now it's sweet)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSovereigntyofReality](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSovereigntyofReality/gifts), [imposterhuman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/gifts), [AlexTheShipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTheShipper/gifts), [izumi2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/izumi2/gifts).



> Title[song]: Vicious (Tata McRae) 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Dedicated to those wonderful people! I love their works!!

𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙜.

~*~

Tony’s life had never been the best. Just 4 years old and he questioned the people around him. Because he didn’t understand.

Jarvis said that apparently other children didn’t get kidnapped every other week. He said it was because Tony was rich and that people were jealous. Tony didn’t understand.

Ana said that it was because Tony was smart and that people didn’t like that he was smarter than them. Tony didn’t understand.

Maria said it was because Tony was Howard’s son and that lots of people didn’t like Howard. Tony didn’t understand.

Only a week later, Magnolia, his nanny at the time, kidnapped him. She was going to sell him to Howard’s rivals. Tony escaped.

Tony understood, for the first time (definitely not the last). 

In MIT with Sunset and Tiberius, Tony understood.  
In that cave in Afghanistan with Ten Rings, Tony understood.  
In the Malibu Mansion with Stane, Tony understood.  
In the Grand Prix with Vanko, Tony understood.  
In the Stark Expo with Hammer, Tony understood.  
In the Chitauri Invasion with SHIELD and Loki, Tony understood.  
In Rose Hill with Killian and AIM, Tony understood.  
In his Stark tower penthouse with ULTRON, Tony understood.  
In Sokovia with the Iron Legion and the Maximoffs, Tony understood.  
In the Civil War with Romanoff, Barton, Wilson and Maximoff, Tony understood.

Siberia.

Siberia really drove the point home. 

In Siberia with Steve and Barnes. Tony understood.

~*~

It stung. Waking up from a coma was numbing. Telling his Pep and Platypus what happened was tiring. Reassuring the kid (and himself) was calming. Telling Happy he wanted a cheeseburger was teasing. Assuring Vision that his ‘get well soon’ soup was (honest to god) good was heartwarming. 

But after Helen and her team injected him with Extremis and left him to rest. It stung. Not the liquid fire running through his bloodstream though.

He had 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 Steve. He trusted so many people in his life yet here he was in a private hospital room with a loving Pepper, a caring Rhodey, a frantic Spiderling, a gentle and kind Vision and an exasperated Happy. Only 5 people, well 6 if you count the worried Harley in Tennessee. 

He looked around in the room and saw the people he trusted.

Even Helen who was watching from her reports as Peter rambled about how his patrol went with a fond smile. 

He breathed in. The air felt cleaner than it had since his time with Jarvis and Ana. 

He remembered thinking, ‘𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳’

Who was he kidding? Of course he would recover. He was Tony Stark, The Merchant of Death, he’ll be damned if he went out with a whimper and not a bang. He’d give Rogers hell. But that can wait, his family is more important.

~*~

Tony moved on, it shows.

Here he was at home in Stark Tower with his newly appointed 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 (made his inner consciousness giggle with giddiness every time), Pepper, who was comfy on the couch with her ever-growing baby bump (Tony was s q e a l i n g) getting tips from Laura. Rhodey was pacing, he was back on his feet, while he was on the phone with someone. Happy was dozing off on the armchair peacefully. Peter, on the ceiling (kid was going to give him heart attacks!) doing his homework and Vision was experimenting in the kitchen. 

Tony recovered. 

~*~

Tears sprung to his eyes as a loud cry and a scream filled the room.

The hand holding his loosened.

. . . 

“Congratulations Mister and Mrs. Stark. It’s a girl.”

And Morgan Ana Stark was born.

~*~

Morgan squealed in delight as she, May, Peter and Happy played with her toys. 

Pepper and Tony shared a look of fondness as they watched their family.

Things finally seemed to be looking up in Tony’s life.

~*~ 

2 years after the ‘Civil War’ and the Rogues were coming back. 

Tony only grinned.

~*~

Tony hadn’t been expecting to be at the Compound when Rogers and his groupies arrived. He had a meeting scheduled and was supposed to be in at the tower. 

Morgan was sick so he decided to stay and take care of her.He still attended the meeting though, just through video call. He wasn’t like his father, he couldn’t leave all the parenting to Pep especially when tension was high with the Rogues return.

And besides, he was looking forward to this.

~*~

Tony stepped out on to the tarmac as the Wakandan jet came into view. He dressed in a deep red button up with a gunmetal gray vest, a pinstriped blazer and matching slacks. Red-tinted EDITH glasses? Check.

Yep, he was dressed nicely. He wasn’t going to let them take advantage of him this time.

Carol squared her shoulders as the jet nearly touched down, “Are you sure I’m not allowed to punch Rogers in the face?”

Rhodey tried and failed to hide a smirk when he said “Carol, we talked about this.”

The woman just huffed.

Tony hadn’t bothered to hide his snickering… or his cooing either.

(Tony had been reluctant to let the new recruits in and to his credit, he didn’t. 

They just wormed their way into his stone-cold, mechanical heart, and apparently they like the interior designing that his family picked and decided to stay. In his heart, without his permission. How dare they?)

The back of the jet lowered as the Avengers stepped out along with T’Challa.

Tony gave the King of Wakanda a respectful nod, one which was whole-heartedly returned, and turned to face the his ex-teammates.

Tony’s posture was confident and radiated power and authority and he knew it. His hands were in his pockets and his back straight. “Rogers and others,” he gave them a nod too because why not? “Welcome back to the United States of America.” His words and tone indicated that he was indifferent, which his was, but he slightly, just the teeniest-tiniest bit, might’ve felt spiteful.

Steve smiled at him but his Sour Patch didn’t give the good captain time to make conversation, and plowed on with the rules and regulations.

Since Tony helped to make said rules and regulations, he tuned it out, more content with watching his soon to be prey. 

Romanoff had a carefully blank face but Tony could read her like an open book (was he always able to do that?), she was tense and she knew he was watching her. Her eyes darted to meet his and he gave her a small, possibly threatening, smirk. She wouldn’t have found it if she wasn’t looking for it. Her eyes quickly focused back on Rhodey. 

Is the itsy bitsy spider scared? Interesting.

Barton was scowling, Tony couldn’t wait for his reaction to Laura’s successful divorce with him in absentia. His hawky senses must’ve alerted him because his eyes met Tony’s and the scowl only deepened. Tony moved on, he didn’t have time for Barton’s idiocy. 

Tony’s face was blank and even Fury wouldn’t be able to gauge an emotion from him right now. It’s what Peter called ‘The Game Face’. Cue his kid’s over dramatic voice. Pepper says he gets it from him. Tony agrees because when is Pepper ever wrong?

Maximoff had an air of confidence around her, like she owned the place. She was observing her surroundings and perhaps trying to get into Carol’s head, but Stephen had put up wards so Maximoff’s attempts would be futile.

Lang looked like a nervous wreck, he kept shifting his weight and glancing around yet listening to the Colonels at the same time. Their eyes met and Lang’s eyes widen and he paled. Was he really that intimidating? Wow. None the less, Tony had a family now so he knew Lang missed his kid and he didn’t really have anything against him. Scott was just another person to fall prey to Captain America’s propaganda. The poor guy looked like he was going to pass out so Tony offered an olive branch (and he liked playing matchmaker so Hope better get ready for Cupid Tony) and smiled at him. It wasn’t that big just a small one but it wasn’t secretive and Scott visibly calmed down. He returned the small smile, albeit a little weak, too.

Next up was Wilson, he looked like he had seen better days and was watching Rhodey and Carol intently. Good, he was paying attention. Tony didn’t too much against Wilson and he hadn’t been that bad before the Civil War, Tony hoped the rose-tinted glass of his broke sometime over the last 2 years.

Barnes was here too, Shuri had told him that with the help of BARF, Barnes had been rid of the triggers. The man looked restless and antsy. He was scanning his surroundings but didn’t look like he was going to outright attack someone. More likely a precaution or a habit. With Barnes’ assassin instincts and general insecurity, he must have felt he was being watched. He saw the Sergeant look at him for a split second before he ducked his head and looked at the floor. He look up again.

Rogers, on the other hand, shifted in front of Barnes and found his gaze. Tony and Rogers stared at each other until Carol asked “Any questions?” 

Rogers looked away first and replied “No, ma’am.” 

Rhodey nodded and turned on his heel, “Follow me.”

Tony cleared his throat, “Mr.Lang,” he called out.

It was comical how all of them froze and turned to look at him, expectantly. Last time he checked Lang hadn’t married or adopted any of them. The man himself had paled. 

“Yes?” Tony fought the urge to roll his eyes, of course Rogers answered for him. Scott’s his own person, Steve doesn’t need to speak for his ducklings.

“Y-yes Dr.Stark?” Scott asked this time. He audibly gulped.

…Tony was dragging the silence out too long wasn’t he? 

Rogers had tensed and squared his shoulders, ready to fight.

“Calm down, Lang, you look like I’m going to unleash all 52 of my suits on you” Tony breathed out an amused chuckle, “You still have some pending paperwork before you can leave to San Fran.” 

“Oh.” Scott flushed red in embarrassment, this man is an older version of Peter. Tony was sure of it. 

“Yes, oh. Now follow me.” Tony walked forward, hearing Scott follow him.

“I feel sorry for you, Lang” Tony decided to play with his food, and sure enough he could practically feel them tense behind him. He looked over his shoulder for his thoughts to be confirmed. Scott was staring at him wide-eyed.

Tony stifled a smile but he could tell he was unsuccessful if the way Rogers looked annoyed was anything to go on. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but I do know you and Hope are going to have a long talk.” 

“Oh shit.” Scott whispered under his breath. 

~*~

The Rogues had been here for 8 days and Tony hadn’t seen them since they landed. His schedule was filled to the brim with meetings considering the fact that Tony was not only the CEO of SI again, since Pepper was taking a break and was busy with Morgan but she was an goddess attended the important meetings, but Accords meetings too. 

Even though Tony was a reserve member now, he still was one of the most popular ones (one of the 2 remaining originals on-planet) and he was needed for a lot of things. He was the HEROES (Humanity Endangerment Rescue Operations, Evacuation and Safety) liaison when it comes to Accords business so there’s that. 

The Accords Council needed help with the public when it came to the Rogues pardons’ so the week was filled with these meetings. 

Tony finally got a break and was back at the Compound for the rest of the day. So he used the time wisely. Playing with his baby. FRIDAY had put on some shows for Morgan to watch as Tony took a power nap, only to be awaken by a somewhat frantic/annoyed FRIDAY (Tony was so proud of his baby girl for learning to display emotions like that).

“Boss, the Rogues are entering the West Wing and are headed here.” FRIDAY gave a robotic huff “Romanoff messed with my servers.”

Someone needs to teach this spider a lesson.

“Right.” Tony looked at Morgan, clad in a custom onesie that said ‘Princess Stark!’, asleep on his chest. He wasn’t going to wake her up. FRIDAY, JOCASTA, and EDITH got his back. Stephen put a whole bunch of protection spells too. 

Tony pulled up holograms and worked on EDITH’s drones while he waited for the Rogues to ‘ambush’ him.

Sure enough, 2 minutes 36 seconds later the door to the West Wing common room slid open and “Tony!” was heard.

Tony shot Rogers a look and brought a finger to his lips. “Quiet.” As Rogers’ looked offended. Right, they couldn’t see Morgan and Pepper’s pregnancy along with their marriage hadn’t been made public knowledge yet. 

“Quiet?” Steve repeated incredulously, “Tony, we need to talk, you can’t keep us away from parts of the compound!” He exclaimed.

Tony glared at him as Morgan shifted. They started to move in front of him. “What part of ‘quiet’ did you not understand Rogers?”

“What I don’t understand is why you keep avoidin-” He trailed off once he saw Morgan. 

“I don’t have time for you anymore Rogers, I’m the CEO of SI until Pep takes it up again, I’m HEROES liaison and as you can see, I’m a father.” They looked surprised to say the least, Tony noticed that Barnes and Wilson weren’t with Rogers' ambush party. 

“You’re a father? After you took my family away from me?” Clint at least whispered furiously. Must be the dad instincts. Huh.

“You left Laura and the kids Barton, she was the one who asked for the divorce and she didn’t even ask me. She asked Pepper and Pep helped her. I didn’t play a role in your divorce.” Tony shrugged, this was Clint’s fault not his.

Tony looked at Romanoff, “You lost the title of ‘Aunt Nat’, Lila wants to be Pepper when she grows up now.” Romanoff paused and pursed her lips.

“W-what?”

Tony should’ve felt sorry since he’s a father now, but this was all on Clint, he shouldn’t have left them. 

“Nathaniel is a Natasha now too.” Tony provided. 

“H-, She is?” Clint sounded broken. Tony nodded casually. 

“Actions have consequences, Barton” Tony looked at Romanoff “especially yours.”

“Mine?” She really didn’t know did she?

“Ross went after them, I got to them first but Ross burned the farm down, he bought the SHIELD files, that you wiki-leaked, from the black market.” Tony stated grimly.

Barton made a choked noise from the back of his throat.

Morgan shifted again and let out a cute yawn and smacked her lips but didn’t wake up.

‘𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤’. Tony thought fondly.

“Don’t bother contacting her or the kids, we’ve already filled out the restraining order if you try.” Tony stated carelessly.

“We?” Maximoff sneered.

“Laura’s a friend, you have to go through me to touch my friends.” Tony said with a shark grin. A warning for all its worth.

“We’re your friends, Tony, you know this.” Steve said so reproachfully and so so confidently.

Friends. Tony scoffed.

Tony scoffed, “We’re not friends Rogers, better leave before you become an enemy.” Tony glared at him. Friends, after all they did.

Steve looked like he wanted to argue but a knock at the door cut him off.

The door opened for a Sam Wilson and a James Barnes.

“Bucky! You shouldn’t be here!” Rogers exclaimed not-to-subtly side eyeing Tony. Tony had the sudden urge to roll his eyes and slam his head again a wall.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 shouldn’t be here” Barnes hissed, “We’re not allowed here, Steve. Respect their privacy.” He looked at Tony “I’m so sorry, Dr.Stark.” Why did Tony have a feeling it wasn’t just for Steve’s trespassing?

“Man, what are you doing here?” Wilson sounded tired. Tony could relate. Wilson looked at Tony “I’m sorry, we told them not to come here.” 

Steve’s earlier outburst startled Morgan awake, that bastard.

She cried loudly and everyone in the room tensed. Tony jumped to his feet and paced around, bouncing and rocking Morgan to calm her. His steered himself to the kitchenette, away from the intruders. FRIDAY, being the badass big sister she is, moved the ceiling panels and the Rogues had quite a few weapons pointed at them.

Tony glared ferociously at Rogers. The 4 intruders stumbled back as he felt his eyes glow. “Get out.” Tony seethed.

Barnes and Wilson scrambled in and pulled the others out. Barnes looked over his shoulder “I’m so sorry.” Then the door closed.

“...Fixed my servers boss.” FRIDAY said into the silence.

“Good girl.”

~*~

Tony realised,  
In MIT, Rhodey was there.  
In that cave in Afghanistan, Yinsen was there.  
In the Malibu mansion, Rhodey and his bota were there.  
In the Grand Prix, Pepper and Happy were there.  
In the Stark Expo, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy and Peter were there.  
In the Chitauri Invasion, Pepper was there.  
In Rose Hill, Pepper and Harley were there.  
In his penthouse, Helen and Maria Hill were there.  
In Sokovia, Rhodey and Vision were there.  
In the Civil War, Rhodey, Peter, Vision were there.

He looked at his perfectly imperfect family and thought,

𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩.

**Author's Note:**

> Haiiii It's me again!! 
> 
> Just wanted to clarify that EDITH's name is a precaution Tony took if he ever died and she still stands for Even Dead, I'm The Hero. 
> 
> :I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> :Constructive criticism is welcome!
> 
> :I'd love to read your comments!
> 
> Prompts are welcome toooooo
> 
> This one's a little softer with domestic fluff, not as much Merchant of Death tho. ;-;


End file.
